Our featured Dead Girl for the month of July is Rebel Yelle!

Name: Rebel Yelle
Team: The Shotgun Sheilas
Number: 666
Position(s): Blocker
Seasons with Dead Girl Derby: 3

How she discovered Dead Girl Derby:
“My cousin Charlotte was a part of the league and skated as Konni Kazi. I had asked her about joining Dead Girl Derby when it was still in its first season, but I was too scared. Then the next year I came home from working a season in Yellowstone and realized I had nothing to do, and I was super depressed and just needed a change in my life. Six days later, I went to the recruitment night at River Roll. I almost left, but my brother (who worked there at the time) wouldn’t let me. The next day I went to practice and was so awful, I couldn’t move away from the wall.”

Origin of her derby name:
“Rebel is already my legal name, and I was tired of people pestering me to use it, so I changed it to something that made sense. So I went from Elle Maldito to Rebel Yelle. Also, I love the song by Billy Idol. ”

Past injuries:
“I have been lucky in that I have never really had anything major happen to me. However, after the championship game, when the Sheilas were still known as the Fearleaders, I collided with another skater and fell and hyperextended my knee. It still pops out of place every now and then.”

Favorite skater:
“I think one of my favorite skaters has to be Wine N. Moen. She showed so much improvement her first season, and still continues to improve. I have never seen her get upset during a game, and she just leaves all the drama on the track.”

Proudest derby moment:
“My proudest derby moment was during the coed bout in May this season, and I broke out as lead jammer over Crimson Cobra. I called it just after I scored one point. But that point took us from a tie to being in the lead! I know for some, scoring points is an everyday thing, but to me, it was everything I had been working towards.”

What sets her apart in Dead Girl Derby:
“What sets me apart in this league is my determination to improve. I have never wanted something so much in my life. And I came from basically having nothing, skill-wise, to being where I am now. I never played sports growing up and I hated skating when I was younger. When I started derby, I weighed over 310 lbs, and I had practically no self-esteem. But now… I have lost almost 100 lbs and I can’t believe the confidence I have gained. I needed a complete lifestyle change, and I knew from the first moment I put on skates that derby was what was going to allow me to make that change.”